Flipped Homework 2: Factors affecting conformity, conformity to social roles

Task 1: Read the information on page 6 of the information pack and answer the following questions:

  1. How many people are needed to illicit the maximum conformity effect?
  1. What happens to the conformity rate as the number of confederates rises from three to fifteen?
  1. How does having a very large number of confederates affect the rate of conformity in the participant?
  1. Give the rates of conformity in the following Asch variations:
  2. 1 confederate ____%
  3. 2 confederates ____%
  4. 3 confederates ____%
  1. What was the conformity rate when one confederate dissented from the majority and gave the right answer?
  1. What happened to the conformity rate when the dissenting confederate gave a different answer to the majority, but it was still wrong?
  1. What does the answer to question 6 tell us about what makes it easier for people not to conform?
  1. What happened to the conformity rate when Asch made the lines more similar in length?
  1. Explain the answer to question 8 in terms of what you have learned about the reasons why people conform

Task 2: Watch the documentary on the Stanford Prison Experiment on the Psych205 website (linear A level/paper1/social influence/conformity to social roles) and complete the answers to the questions below

  1. What did Zimbardo want to find out (in other words, what were the aims of the study)?
  1. What did he do? List as many details as you can about the procedure
  1. Give four main findings from Zimbardo’s study

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

  1. What can we conclude from the results of this study?
  1. In your opinion, should Zimbardo have carried out this study? YES / NO. Give two reasons for your answer

(i)

(ii)

Task 3: Watch the you tube clip on Reicher & Haslam’s replication of Zimbardo’s study and then answer the questions below. A link to the clip can be found on the Psych205 website (linear A level/paper 1/social influence/conformity to social roles)

  1. What was a key difference between the way Zimbardo carried out his study and the way Reicher & Haslam carried out theirs?
  1. What were the differences in the way the participants reacted in the two studies?
  1. What might be the reasons for these differences?
  1. What comment might we make about this research that links to the issue of temporal validity?
  1. What comment might we make about this research that links to the issue of population validity?
  1. What comment might we make about this research that links to the issue of ecological validity?
  1. Why may it be difficult to predict how someone might behave when given a particular social role?
  1. What was the final outcome of Zimbardo’s study?
  1. What was the final outcome of Haslam’s study?
  1. What comment can we make about the reliability of the research?